Nursing Bullets: Maternal and Child Health Nursing IV

If a fetus has late decelerations (a sign of fetal hypoxia), the nurse should instruct the mother to lie on her left side and then administer 8 to 10 L of oxygen per minute by mask or cannula. The nurse should notify the physician. The side-lying position removes pressure on the inferior vena cava.

Oxytocin (Pitocin) promotes lactation and uterine contractions.

Lanugo covers the fetus’s body until about 20 weeks’ gestation. Then it begins to disappear from the face, trunk, arms, and legs, in that order.

In a neonate, hypoglycemia causes temperature instability, hypotonia, jitteriness, and seizures. Premature, postmature, small-for-gestational-age, and large-for-gestational-age neonates are susceptible to this disorder.

A neonate whose mother has diabetes should be assessed for hyperinsulinism.

In a patient with preeclampsia, epigastric pain is a late symptom and requires immediate medical intervention.

After a stillbirth, the mother should be allowed to hold the neonate to help her come to terms with the death.

Molding is the process by which the fetal head changes shape to facilitate movement through the birth canal.

If a woman receives a spinal block before delivery, the nurse should monitor the patient’s blood pressure closely.

If a woman suddenly becomes hypotensive during labor, the nurse should increase the infusion rate of I.V. fluids as prescribed.

The best technique for assessing jaundice in a neonate is to blanch the tip of the nose or the area just above the umbilicus.

During fetal heart monitoring, early deceleration is caused by compression of the head during labor.

After the placenta is delivered, the nurse may add oxytocin (Pitocin) to the patient’s I.V. solution, as prescribed, to promote postpartum involution of the uterus and stimulate lactation.

Pica is a craving to eat nonfood items, such as dirt, crayons, chalk, glue, starch, or hair. It may occur during pregnancy and can endanger the fetus.

A pregnant patient should take folic acid because this nutrient is required for rapid cell division.

A woman who is taking clomiphene (Clomid) to induce ovulation should be informed of the possibility of multiple births with this drug.

If needed, cervical suturing is usually done between 14 and 18 weeks’ gestation to reinforce an incompetent cervix and maintain pregnancy. The suturing is typically removed by 35 weeks’ gestation.
During the first trimester, a pregnant woman should avoid all drugs unless doing so would adversely affect her health.

Most drugs that a breast-feeding mother takes appear in breast milk.

The Food and Drug Administration has established the following five categories of drugs based on their potential for causing birth defects: A, no evidence of risk; B, no risk found in animals, but no studies have been done in women; C, animal studies have shown an adverse effect, but the drug may be beneficial to women despite the potential risk; D, evidence of risk, but its benefits may outweigh its risks; and X, fetal anomalies noted, and the risks clearly outweigh the potential benefits.

A patient with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy commonly has sharp pain in the lower abdomen, with spotting and cramping. She may have abdominal rigidity; rapid, shallow respirations; tachycardia; and shock.

A patient with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy commonly has sharp pain in the lower abdomen, with spotting and cramping. She may have abdominal rigidity; rapid, shallow respirations; tachycardia; and shock.

A probable sign of pregnancy, McDonald’s sign is characterized by an ease in flexing the body of the uterus against the cervix.

Amenorrhea is a probable sign of pregnancy.

A pregnant woman’s partner should avoid introducing air into the vagina during oral sex because of the possibility of air embolism.

The presence of human chorionic gonadotropin in the blood or urine is a probable sign of pregnancy.
Radiography isn’t usually used in a pregnant woman because it may harm the developing fetus. If radiography is essential, it should be performed only after 36 weeks’ gestation.

A pregnant patient who has had rupture of the membranes or who is experiencing vaginal bleeding shouldn’t engage in sexual intercourse.

Milia may occur as pinpoint spots over a neonate’s nose.

The duration of a contraction is timed from the moment that the uterine muscle begins to tense to the moment that it reaches full relaxation. It’s measured in seconds.

The union of a male and a female gamete produces a zygote, which divides into the fertilized ovum.

The first menstrual flow is called menarche and may be anovulatory (infertile).

Spermatozoa (or their fragments) remain in the vagina for 72 hours after sexual intercourse.

Prolactin stimulates and sustains milk production.

Strabismus is a normal finding in a neonate.

A postpartum patient may resume sexual intercourse after the perineal or uterine wounds heal (usually within 4 weeks after delivery).

A pregnant staff member shouldn’t be assigned to work with a patient who has cytomegalovirus infection because the virus can be transmitted to the fetus.